Transparent display and mounting container for stamps and the like



Jan. 3, 1939. 1 s. F, HARRIS TRANSPARENT DISPLAY AND MOUNTING CONTAINER FOR STAMPS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 5, 1936 Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES TRANSPARENT DISPLAY AND MOUNTING CONTAINER FOR STAIVIPS AND THE LIKE Stephen F. Harris, Dover, Mass.

Application September 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a transparent receptacle for the mounting and display of a postage stamp, envelope, post card, or other similar article.

It is an object of the invention to provide a receptacle or envelope which can be readily shaped to fit any size of postage stamp, which will protect the stamp therein from being soiled or injured, and which at the same time will permit ready inspection of both faces of the stamp. It is a further object of the invention to provide an envelope which can be easily and economically made, which is easy to use, which can be readily mounted in an album in such a manner as to permit inspection of either face of the stamp,

and yet which does not cause any undue bulging of the pages of an album.

Further desirable and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the disclosure thereof in the following description and on the drawing of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a rectangular blank of transparent sheet material, an end portion of which is gummed on one face and cut to form a hinge flap.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the blank with the gummed end portion folded back against the central portion, ready to receive a stamp.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the blank folded to enclose a stamp, after its excess length has been trimmed off.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the rear face of a completed envelope, showing the hinge flap projecting upwardly.

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a complete envelope, showing the hinge flap attached to an album page or the like.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a container with astamp thereon, attached to an album page.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 except that the gummed areas are more limited.

The invention may be embodied, as shown, in an envelope which is very simply made of a rectangular piece ll] of thin, transparent material such as a product of cellulose acetate, cellulose hydrate, cellulose nitrate, or an equivalent thereof. An end portion l2 of the blank if is coated on one face with a film of suitable adhesive material which can be conditioned by moisture or otherwise to adhere to a surface such as the page of an album and which is also capable of adhering to the material of the blank H]. A tongue or hinge flap [4 is formed in this gummed area l2 by a U-shaped cut l6, this tongue being adapted to be bent out of the plane of the blank ID on 5, 1936, Serial No. 99,536

the line H passing through the ends of the cut it. As indicated in Figure 1, this line is preferably a boundary line of the gummed area 12.

After the cut 16 has been made in the blank Iii, and preferably after the end portion l2 has been coated with adhesive, this end portion is preferably folded back against the central portion of the blank Ill as indicated in Figure 2. The device can conveniently be offered for sale in this form, being ready to receive a stamp or other article which is to be encased therein. The dimensions of the blank Ill may be as desired, according to the article which is to be enclosed therein. If the container is intended for use with postage stamps, the blank is preferably made of sufficient length to accommodate the longest stamp which may be inserted therein, and is preferably wide enough to accommodate the widest stamp which may be inserted therein. When the blank I!) is being made up from the form, indicated in Figure 2, into a completed envelope for any particular stamp, the excess length or width or both may be readily trimmed off with scissors or the like so that the envelope will have approximately the same dimensions as the stamp enclosed therein.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the application of the envelope to a stamp having a horizontal long dimension, the excess length of the strip Iil having been trimmed off.

In making up the envelope from the blank furnished in the form shown in Figure 2-, the stamp is inserted in the fold between the gummed portion 12 and the central portion adjacent thereto, the reverse face of the stamp being toward the gummed portion l2. If necessary, some of the opposite end portion [8 of the blank In may be trimmed so that there will be enough of the blank left to fold up about the lower edge of the stamp so as to overlap a portion of the gummed area 12 as indicated in Figure 4. The end portion I8 may be moistened or otherwise treated so as to adhere to the overlapped portion of the gummed area I2. The overlapped portion of the gummed area may extend nearly to the upper edge of the envelope thus formed, but it is preferable that the portion l8 be trimmed away so that it will not extend above the lower edge of the opening left by the hinge flap [4. When the portion I8 has been cemented to the overlapping portion !2 to form the envelope, the ends of the envelope may be trimmed away by scissors or the like so that the width of the envelope will be approximately the same as the Width of the stamp contained therein. The envelope with its stamp 30 may now be mounted on a sheet 20 such as an album page or the like, as shown in Figure 6, the gummed surface of the fiap I4 being moistened so that it will adhere firmly to the surface 20. Since the hinge of the flap I4 is at the upper edge of the envelope, the envelope can readily be turned back as indicated in Figure 5 for inspection of the reverse face of the stamp contained in the envelope. When the envelope is in its normal position on the surface 20, the flap l4 fits into the aperture left in the rear wall of the envelope, thus avoiding excessive thickness of the envelope.

Instead of coating the entire face of the end area 12 as indicated in Figure l, restricted areas of this end portion may be coated as, for example, illustrated in Figure 7. As therein shown, a relatively narrow area 22 is coated, this area being at the extreme end of the blank I0. Otherwise, the tongue [4, instead of being coated over an entire face, may have a gummed area 24 limited to the end portion of the tongue. The blank thus formed is made up into an envelope in precisely the same manner as that illustrated in Figure 1.

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

I claim:-

1. A blank for a display and mounting envelope for a postage stamp or the like, comprising a strip of transparent material having a U- shaped cut in an end portion thereof forming a flap spaced from the edges of the strip, one face of said end portion, including said flap, being coated with adhesive material.

2. A blank for a display and mounting envelope for a postage stamp or the like, comprising a strip of transparent material having an end portion folded back against the mid portion thereof, said end portion having a U-shaped out forming a flap, both ends of said out being in the line of fold, and a film of adhesive material coating the extreme end areas of said end portion and tongue.

STEPHEN F. HARRIS. 

